The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-11-04
ANECDOTES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Overcome by Too Much Tail-Hclp Me
Let This Hog Go.
President Lincoln was fond of impressing a
point or Illustrating his opinion or desire
through the medium of story When Gen.
Grant was appointed Lieutenant general tho
president called him aside to speak to him
privately; and after brief reference to the
military situation he said he could best illus
trato what ho wanted to say by story which
he related. The anecdote is in Grants own
words and was contributed by Col Fred.
Grant to Mr.. Allen Thorndike sRices "Rem-
iniscences of Abraham Lincoln, by Distin
guished Men of His Time" The president
said: "At one time there was great war
among the animals and one side had great
difficulty i'll getting commander who had
sufficient confidence in himself Finally they
found monkey, of the name OF Jocko, who
said he thought ho could command their
army if his tail could be made little longer.
So they got more tail and spliced it on to his
caudal appcndagc. Ho looked at it admir-
ingly, and then thought he ought to have q
little more still. This was added, and again
he called for moro. Tho splicing process was
repeated many times, until they had coiled
Jockos tail around the room, filling all the
space. Still he called for moro tail, and,
there being no other place to coil it, they be-
gan wrapping it around his shoulders. lie
continued his call for more, and they kept en-
winding the additional tail about him until
finally its own weight broke him down"
Gen. Grant saw the point, and, rising from
his chair, replied: "Mr. President, l will not
call for more assistance unless I find it i'm
possible to do with the forces already have"
He used the same means likewise to give
vent to his deepest feelings. Mr. Rice gives
an anecdote related by Ex-Governor Curtin,
war governor Of Pennsylvania, which coll
tains striking instance of this kind. Gov
ernor Curtin had returned from the battle of
Fredericksburg, and described it to the pres-
dent as rather butchery than fight The
account of the horrors he had witnessed threw
the president into a state of nervous excite
ment and Gov. Curtin, in taking his leave of
the sorrowful executive, said: II trust mat
ters will look brighter when the official re-
ports come in;" and then he added, i'm
pulsively: II would give all possess 10 know
how to rescue You from this terrible war"
Immediately the presidents manner
changed, and he relieved his mind by telling
the following story:
"IhiS reminds me-" he said, "of an old
farmer out in Illinois that used to know.
He took it into his head to go into hog raising.
He sent over to Europe and imported the finest
breed of hogs he could buy. The prize hog
was put in pen, and the farmers two mis-
chievous boys, James and John, were told to
be SURF not to let him out. But james, the
worse of the two, let the brute out the next
day. The hog went straight for the boys,
and drove John up tree. Then it went for
the seat of James trousers, and the only way
he could save himself was by holding ON to
the hogs TAIL The hog would not give up
his hunt nor the boy his hold. After they
had made a good many circles around the
tree, the boys courage began to give out and
he shouted to his brother: I say John, come
down quick and help me let this hog go
Now, governor, that is exactly my case.
wish some one would come and help me let
this hog eoi"